News

Clavering Players present a romantic comedy about the sexual politics of open marriage by DARIO FO and FRANCA RAME. Tickets include a performance by acoustic guitar and vocal duo from REV2, a glass of wine and a light supper.

'THE OPEN COUPLE' explores serious themes but its farcical structure leads to hilarious situations that will amuse, entertain and keep you guessing right up to the end.

Dario Fo won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997 and his many plays include 'Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!' and 'Accidental Death of an Anarchist'.

Come along! On the 3rd & 4th March 2018 at 7.30pm in Clavering Village Hall!

We are thrilled to announce that our festival production 'The Extraordinary Revelations of Orca the Goldfish' by David Tristram, came a very close runner up with just one point dividing us and the winning team from Woking.

Out of eleven entries, we thought it was a great result. Not only did we get the NDFA Council Trophy for runner up but also the John Scowen Award for Comedy and the Audience Appreciation award when all audience members who bought season tickets get to vote on their favourite production of the week. Thanks to all members and friends who supported us during this festival period.

Life x 3 (Reza)

Henri and Sonia are putting their son to bed when an unexpected knock at the door throws them into disarray. Hubert and Ines have arrived for dinner, a day earlier than expected... As the evening degenerates, Yasmina Reza blends cruel observations with high comedy in an hilarious and poignant examination of our most personal intimacies and private longings.

7 images

The Cast.

Sonia - Charlotte Foster

Henri - Ian Miller

Ines - Sue Clatworthy

Hubert - Peter Simmons

Arnaud - George and Issy Root

Director - Gordon Cummings

A review by Alasdair Gold

'Three is the Magic Number '

With a storm raging outside, the atmosphere at Clavering Players' Life x 3 at the village hall was hardly any calmer. The production of Yasmina Reza's insight into three versions of one awful night was expertly delivered by the cast of four. Their performances perfectly captured the array of society's little foibles and idiosyncrasies that the writer has so wittily observed. The three versions showed how one disastrous evening could claim different victims, depending on how each character reacted to bad news or insufferable company. The couples, Henri and Sonia, played by Ian Miller and Charlotte Foster, and Hubert and Ines played by Peter Simmons and Sue Clatworthy, were all displayed from different angles and, although they slipped into caricatures at times, were delightfully distasteful. Ian Miller probably had the most fun role to get his teeth into as Henri, who was, in turn, pathetic, then angry and lastly cool, calm and collected after receiving bad news from gloating Hubert. As a side note, Sue Clatworthy put in an alarmingly realistic portrayal of a drunken wife in the second night. Let's hope it was only apple juice in those wine bottles. Peter Simmons was a suitably sleezy and pompous Hubert, while Charlotte Foster switched effortlessly from irritated wife to seemingly supportive, yet unfaithful spouse. A final irony that I am sure Reza would have appreciated is that no matter how witty or insightful an amateur play can be or even if the watching audience realise that its them being represented on the stage, they'll always find swearing delightfully funny. Like guaffawing at grown men getting smacked in the nether regions, one of life's little foibles, methinks.